1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information (software) renting system for renting information on an IC card after storing various types of information such as computer programs and other data therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Along with the recent and rapid progress of semiconductor technology came the development of highly integrated and inexpensive products, many of which use a microprocessor. For example, data processors such as personal computers and word processors as well as various types of game machines are now available at low prices.
Additionally, a variety of programs for operating these apparatus are now commercially available. However, it is too costly for ordinary customers to purchase all of the programs they might need. There is therefore a demand for the renting of programs to be employed temporarily (e.g., for games) as well as information of other sorts).
A ROM cartridge has been employed up to now for storing such rental information, therein. The ROM cartridge is rented, for example, at a predetermined charge for one or several days.
However, such an information renting system using the ROM cartridge as described above requires a plurality of information storage media for renting a single information type when an information renting side (hereinafter referred to as an information offering side) is to rent the same information storage media to a plurality of customers. In addition, the customers of course cannot rent those media, which have already been rented.
To solve this problem, another information renting system was proposed, which was adapted to store variety of information in a private floppy disk device (hereinafter referred to as a FDD) for renting the medium to a user.
This system permits a user to borrow a FDD medium, after copying and recording a plurality of information needed by the user in the FDD medium from a source information storage media, upon payment of a predetermined charge. This system therefore enables the information to be utilized conveniently and inexpensively, compared with the ROM cartridge information renting system.
However, these prior information renting systems sufferred a drawback in that information might be utilized without permission if the customer in the return the ROM cartiridges and FDD media when the rental period expires.